EVALUATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTI-OXIDANT POTENTIAL OF ANDROGRAPHIS SERPYLLIFOLIA (VAHL) WIGHT: AN ENDEMIC ANTI-OPHIDIC PLANT

In folk medicine, especially in developing countries, several plant species are employed for the treatment of snakebites that lack prompt access to serum therapy. Andrographis serpyllifolia (Vahl), belonging to Acanthaceae, has been recorded in ethnobotanical archives as a plant possessing potent anti-ophidic activity for snake bites. The present study emphasis to investigate the phytochemical profile and anti-oxidant properties of various plant extracts of A. serpyllifolia. To carry out this work, various cold plant extracts were prepared from shade dried leaves and used. During qualitative analysis, all the plant extracts showed positive results for all phytocompounds. Various quantitative assays exhibited that all plant extracts were having significant level of secondary metabolites with values ranging from 1148 to 286 mg GAE/g for phenol, 1262 to 976 mg LN/g for terpenoids, 172 to 106 mg RE/g for flavonoids and 21.5 to 3.6 mg TA/g for tannins. All the plant extracts tested had higher DPPH, ABTS scavenging activity, and metal chelating ability. The free radical scavenging activity of plant extracts were found to be lower only for aqueous extract during FRAP, phosphomolybdenum, NO_2, and lipid peroxidation assays. During superoxide scavenging activity assay, the lowest percent of inhibition was shown by methanol extract. The benzene extract manifested the lowest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and reducing power. The investigation proves that A. serpyllifolia is a potential anti-ophidic plant due to the presence of the highest level of various secondary metabolites and free radical scavenging activities. Thus, the results confirm its use in the management of snake-bites.